C3-G12 (Book 1, Terraform)

VII

            Micah and I sit at an otherwise empty table in the mess with breakfast in front of us. The room is loud, filled with people from four different planets. Though despite the crowdedness of the area, nobody chooses to sit with us. The pissed off look that seems to be cemented onto Micah's face probably isn't helping.

"You're awfully happy this morning." I spoon a mouthful of cereal between my lips and snort when Micah glares at me, having to put my fist against my lips to keep from spitting everywhere.

"Well, sorry that I'm used to actually sleeping at night." I roll my eyes and set my spoon down.

"It's not like you had to stay in my room last night." Sipping on my coffee, I wash down my food. "Besides, three hours is plenty of sleep."

"I'm used to at least nine hours a night." Micah stirs his cereal repeatedly, hardly eating anything in his irritated state.

"As I said, you didn't have to stay." I pick up my spoon again and point it at him, noticing a small bit of milk go flying and land on his shoulder. "And may I remind you that it was you that kept me up, wanting to skip down memory lane together. You could've left at a fully reasonable time last night to go back to your room and sleep."

"You seemed lonely and sad..." Micah sits hunched as he mumbles.

"News flash, I wasn't." I push aside the remainder of my cereal because the flakes had become soggy and wrap my hands around the paper cup with my coffee. "And that doesn't mean you had to sleep with me last night."

A figure hesitates in front us, seeming to have been thinking about sitting with us. But after hearing my second statement, they decided against sitting with us and walk away, in search of lucid people to surround themselves with.

"Look what you did, Serina. Now you're scaring people away."

"Me?! You've been turning people away all morning with your I'm-brooding-and-don't-want-to-be-bothered look!"

"I am not brooding!"

"My God, would you guys just get a room?" A wispy brunette sits down across us, a cup in hand. "Though, from what I hear, it sounds like you already have."

I raise my eyebrows and she glances between the two of us. "I'll have you know; I didn't sleep with her! I would never sleep with her."

I look at him and narrow my eyes. "Wow, harsh. Although, you are more of an unwanted brother to me too." I pat his cheek, a little on the harder side and he grunts, holding his cheek.

Moving my gaze back to the girl, I look over her features. The Aorian-blue moon dress she's wearing hugs her almost-non-existent-curves and accents her small bust, making it seem larger than it is. She has a slender oval shaped face with very sharp cheekbones. Part of her hair is plaited and pinned in a braid that crosses her forehead and behind her head. This is what lights the bulb in my head. "Catalina?"

She smiles at me and the resemblance rattles my brain. "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten about me. It's been awhile."

"Yeah, something like six years." I glance at Micah and he shrugs. Neither of us had seen Catalina since we were fifteen. It was our last year of school and her family had moved just before graduation, taking their daughter somewhere more fit for her...passion.

Catalina had missed the majority of our final year, spending her time looking for her next mark. She searched for girls to terrorize, to whisper in their ear about the five pounds they had to lose, to push them to starve themselves while she did what she wanted for she was gifted with a speedy metabolism. Nobody but those of us that grew up with her knew of her intentions. Everyone around us saw her spending time with those typically segregated from the rest of the crowd and assumed it was to care and nurture them, when in reality, she was the beautiful angel of death, scouting for victims.